Storm
by AcousticMisery
Summary: Response to an rq meme prompt. Rachel is afraid of thunderstorms. Quinn comforts her. Story contains singing and dancing and fluff, oh my!


**Title:** Storm  
**Author:** melissagleek  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairing: **Rachel/Quinn  
**Word Count: **3,966  
**Disclaimer: **Glee is the property of FOX and Ryan Murphy. I also don't own the song "My Favorite Things." The only payment I'll receive for this story will be in the form of comments, and I can't buy anything with them.  
**Summary: **Response to the following rq_meme prompt:  
Rachel is afraid of thunderstorms. Quinn comforts her. Lots of cuddling, playfulness - Quinn doing anything she can to keep Rachel's mind off the storm. In other words, Quinn being a total geek to get her girlfriend to smile/laugh.  
**Author Note: **This story is dedicated to the two "Storms" in my life: my cat Storm and my favorite basketball team the Seattle Storm. Also, it's dedicated to _The Sound of Music_ and _The Wizard of Oz_, which will always be my two favorite movies.

**Author Note #2: **I'm still not sure how I feel about this. I wrote some of it in my notebook during my grad class, so I had to keep looking up to make sure that no one was watching me write.

A week before Rachel's dads left on their mini vacation—a long weekend in Florida in celebration of their 20th anniversary—Rachel set her plan into action. "Daddy, Dad," she began, smiling sweetly at her fathers, who were currently cooking dinner.

"Yes, dear?" her father Sam asked.

"As you know, you and Daddy will be leaving me alone for three whole days next week."

"That's because we trust you, sweetie," Greg, Rachel's other father, replied. "We both feel that you are old enough to stay by yourself for a few days."

"And I'm really glad you do," Rachel continued, ending her sentence but clearly wanting to say more.

"But?" Sam asked, recognizing his daughter's desire to say more.

"But I would really feel more comfortable if someone were to stay with me."

"Someone like Quinn," Greg answered, raising his eyebrows and looking directly at Rachel.

"Well, yes." Rachel smiled brightly at both of her fathers, hoping that it would be enough to convince them to let her girlfriend Quinn stay with her for the weekend.

"Hmmm," Sam mumbled, clearly not sure if it would really be a good idea to allow his teenage daughter and her girlfriend to spend an entire weekend at his house, alone. "Greg, corner. Now," Sam whispered to his husband, signaling to the corner of the kitchen with his hand.

Rachel watched as her fathers spoke quietly in the corner. Every few seconds, he ears would pick up a familiar word— "Quinn," "teenagers," "responsibility"—but she couldn't tell if the conversation was going in her favor.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, her fathers approached her. "Now, I think you probably already know what we're going to say," Sam began.

"But we want you to listen to _everything_ we have to say," Greg added, picking up where his husband left off.

"Absolutely! Of course!" Rachel exclaimed, sure that their answer was going to be "yes."

"We've both agreed that you should have someone stay with you, in case of emergency. And, after much deliberation, we've decided that Quinn would be a reasonable choice, especially considering it is in the middle of summer and neither one of you has any school obligations to worry about."

"Dad, Daddy, thank you so much!" Rachel squealed, enveloping both men in a hug. She held on until she heard Greg clear his throat. "Rachel," he began.

"I'm sorry! I was just really pleased with your decision. Please, continue," she replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"As I was saying," Greg continued, "Quinn may stay here for the weekend, but we feel that it is our responsibility to make sure she understands our expectations. So, we are inviting her to dinner next Wednesday, to go over those expectations."

"Of course! I'll go call her right now!" Rachel exclaimed, giving both men another hug, before leaping up the stairs to retrieve her cell phone.

The following Wednesday, Quinn made sure to arrive at the Berry household exactly seven minutes early, a bottle of sparkling cider in her hand. Not long after Quinn rang the doorbell, the front door swung open. Greg smiled when he saw Quinn standing there, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Mr. Greg, thank you for having me! Quinn said with a smile, as she handed Greg the bottle of cider.

"Ms. Fabray, if I didn't know better, I would say that you are trying very hard to impress my husband and I, so that we overlook the fact that you will be spending an entire weekend seducing our daughter," Greg said, winking at Quinn before pulling her into a big hug.

"My intentions toward your daughter are nothing less than completely honorable!" Quinn exclaimed, smiling when she heard Greg laugh.

"Says the girl who wears her Cheerios more often than necessary because she knows that it drives girlfriend crazy. You're forgetting that I was once a teenager," Greg jokes, letting go of Quinn and stepping aside so she can enter the house. "And even if _your _intentions are honorable, Rachel's definitely won't be as soon as she sees you," he added, pointing his finger at Quinn, who was dressed in a pale yellow summer dress that showcased the tan she had been working on since school ended three weeks prior.

"Well, I think we've covered everything," Sam said, looking at Rachel and Quinn. "Remember, if you have any questions, please call us. The hotel number is already taped to the phone in the kitchen, and we'll both have our cells with us."

Rachel and Quinn nodded at Sam, smiling at the fact that, all things considered, Sam and Greg were actually been pretty lenient when it came to their expectations. After dinner, they went over the list with both Quinn and Rachel. Most of the rules were pretty standard—"No parties," "Keep the doors locked," "No road trips to New York or wherever it is that kids like to go these days," "No alcohol"—but it was the final rule, "No boys," that had both girls erupting in a fit of giggles. "I really don't think you have to worry about that," Quinn said, attempting to fight off her laughter.

"We figured we'd throw it in there, for the sake of humor," Sam said with a laugh. "In all seriousness though, have fun this weekend. And try to keep the noise level down," he added, a grin quickly appearing on his face as watched a blush appear on his daughter's face. "Dad!" Rachel exclaimed, burying her head in Quinn's shoulder, in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

"We'll certainly try," Quinn replied. "But I can't make any promises." She laughed as Rachel groaned, her embarrassment reaching a new level.

Rachel watched as the clock on the DVD player turned to 3:00. As if on cue, the doorbell rang at the same time. A smile appeared on Rachel's face as she got up to open the door. Her weekend with Quinn had officially begun.

"Well, hello there darlin'," Quinn said as Rachel opened the door.

Rachel giggled at Quinn's fake Southern accent. "Well, hello yourself. It's not everyday that I get a Southern belle showing up at my door. Usually that only happens on Mondays and Thursdays," she added, grinning when she saw Quinn's eyes narrow in mock annoyance.

"Yeah, well, after this weekend, you're going to be so exhausted on Monday that you won't even hear the doorbell ring," Quinn shot back.

"Exhausted, huh? I can't even begin to imagine what we'd be doing this weekend that would wear me out to the point of exhaustion."

"Then, you clearly aren't using your imagination," Quinn replied, grabbing onto Rachel's shirt and pulling her in for a kiss.

As they pulled away, Rachel noticed that Quinn was holding something in her left hand. Looking closer, she let out a squeal when she realized what it was. "_Pushing Daisies: The Complete First and Second Seasons_," Rachel read, as she grabbed the object from Quinn's hands.

"I, uh, I know how much you like Kristin Chenoweth," Quinn said.

"No, you know much I absolutely, completely _adore_ Kristin Chenoweth," Rachel replied. "You are the best girlfriend ever," she added, enveloping the taller girl in a hug.

"I know it's the middle of the afternoon and everything, but it's too hot to really do anything. My neighbors didn't even get in their pool today because they said the water was too warm. So, I thought we could maybe relax in the AC and just completely veg out in front of the TV."

"I think that sounds perfect," Rachel said.

After watching four straight episodes of _Pushing Daisies_, Quinn could hear her stomach rumbling. "Baby?" Quinn said, nudging Rachel, who was currently stretched out on the sofa, her back against Quinn's front.

"Yeah?" Rachel asked, turning so that she was facing Quinn.

"Seeing as how there are no more episodes left on this disc, I was thinking we could maybe take a snack break. My tummy is talking, and it's saying, 'Feed me!'"

Laughing at her girlfriend's adorableness, Rachel replied, "Ok. The evening news is on anyway."

"The news? Really?" Quinn asked.

"Yes, the news. It's important to keep up to date with world events. For all we know, in the past three hours, the entire continent of Australia could have fallen off the planet!"

"Well, if that really did happen, I hope Missy Higgins was somewhere else at the time," Quinn commented.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "So, an entire continent could be gone, but as long as the singer you have a crush on is fine, then that's ok?"

Quinn laughed softly as she said, "I don't have a crush on Missy Higgins."

"Yes, you do," Rachel argued. "But, I must say, Brandi Carlile is much hotter than Missy. I mean, Brandi has _tattoos_.

"Who's crushing now?" Quinn asked. "And since when have you had a thing for tattoos?"

"You're just jealous," Rachel replied. "And I think tattoos are amazing. I want one when I'm older."

"And what will it say?" Quinn questioned, ignoring Rachel's comment about her being jealous.

"Property of Quinn," Rachel said, grinning.

"Damn straight," Quinn responded, trying her best to sound tough—and failing miserably.

"You're a dork," Rachel teased.

"But I'm your dork, and you wouldn't have it any other way."

"Damn straight," Rachel said, echoing Quinn's earlier comment.

As Quinn prepared some snacks in the kitchen, including a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for herself, Rachel turned on the evening news. The newscaster had just finished discussing the latest stock market numbers when she suddenly said, "And now, we're going to switch over to Jim in the weather center, for some breaking news."

"Thanks, Andrea," Jim the weatherman said. "For the past several hours, we've been monitoring a severe storm that has been tracing a path from Mississipi, all the way up to Ohio. By our estimates, it should be hitting Lima and surrounding cities within the hour. Reports are coming in of severe winds, lightning, and hail. And, as is the case with this type of storm, there is always the chance of a tornado forming. We'll continue to keep you updated as the storm gets nearer."

"Thanks, Jim," Andrea replied, turning to Rod. "Sounds like we'll be here for awhile, Rod," she said.

"Yes, it does," he replied. "You know, this reminds me of that storm in '75, when I rescued a family of seven who were stuck their boat, in the middle of the river…" Rod continued to ramble on, but Rachel didn't listen. All she could focus on was Jim's weather report and the phrase "severe storm."

Quinn entered the living room to find her girlfriend huddled on the couch, her legs pulled up against her chest. "Rach, baby, what's wrong?" Quinn asked, concern etching her face.

"Quinn!" Rachel cried out, grabbing Quinn and pulling her down onto the couch. "They said…they said that a severe storm is coming."

"Ok?" Quinn replied, not understanding what the problem was.

"Quinn! This is serious! What if it rains so hard that the house fills up with water and we drown in our sleep?"

"Rachel, sweetie, I really don't think that's going to happen," Quinn said, her voice softening when she realized that her girlfriend's fear was completely real. "I won't let it."

"Your desire to be my own personal superhero aside, I still think we should move to higher ground. I have a TV in my room, so we can keep track of the storm while staying perfectly safe on the second floor of the house," Rachel rationalized. Clearly, this was something that she had thought about for much longer than she would probably ever admit.

"Ok, I'll grab a few snacks and meet you up there," Quinn replied, pulling Rachel along with her as she stood up.

While Quinn moved around the kitchen, opening cabinets and grabbing various snack foods, Rachel paced around her room, clutching the stuffed cow that Quinn had won for her at the county fair. The girls had only been dating for about two weeks, and Quinn was clearly trying to impress Rachel. It may have taken twenty-five dollars and twenty-five darts, but Quinn finally popped that damn balloon and won her girl a stuffed cow. Rachel loved that cow.

When Quinn walked into Rachel's room, she smiled at her girlfriend, who was now hugging the cow to her chest, her eyes fixed on the TV, where Jim the weatherman was currently showing a local map of Lima. As Quinn's focused on the map, all she could see was red. According to the legend at the top of the screen, red meant "severe wind, heavy rain, and frequent lightning strikes."

Turning her head and taking in her girlfriend's vulnerable and frightened appearance once again, Quinn quietly said, "As comforting as that cow appears to be, I think I would like to take his place for awhile, if that's ok."

Nodding her head, Rachel placed the cow at the bottom of her bed and held out her arms, sighing when she felt Quinn embrace her and place a kiss on her forehead. Quinn then led them both to Rachel's bed, where Rachel quickly snuggled into Quinn, her head on the blonde's chest and her left leg draped over her lower half. "Better?" Quinn asked.

"Much," Rachel replied, her eyes still focused on the TV. According to the map, the storm would be hitting Lima at any moment.

At approximately 7:00, exactly one hour after the first storm warning, Quinn felt Rachel tense as a tree branch smacked up against the window. A loud crack of thunder soon followed, and Quinn felt Rachel's left hand grab onto her right one.

Five minutes later, just as Jim was telling everyone to pray for the best but expect the worst, a bright flash of lightning erupted from the sky. The TV flashed once, twice…and then went black, taking the rest of the electricity with it. The two girls were left in complete darkness, and Quinn swore she could hear Rachel sniffling lightly. Attempting to comfort the smaller girl, Quinn lightly traced small patterns on her back. Softly, she whispered, "It's ok, baby. The power just went out. It will come back on as soon as the storm is over. I promise. But until then, I'm going to get up and take a look out the window."

"Quinn! You can't do that! It's not safe!"

"Rach, it's ok. I'm just going to see if all of the houses in the area are without power, or if it just affected this street. I'll be back before you even have time to miss me." And with that, Quinn slowly pulled away from Rachel, slid off the bed, and walked over to the window.

When Quinn looked out the window, she was met with even more darkness. Apparently, the entire town of Lima had lost power during the storm. Another bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the puddles of water that were already forming on the street in front of the Berry house. Quinn could hear a light tapping against the window, and when she looked closer, she saw tiny pieces of hail hitting the glass, before falling to the ground below.

As Quinn watched the hail fall, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. "What do you see?" Rachel asked, resting her chin on Quinn's shoulder.

"Well, I see the Wicked Witch flying by on her broomstick, but I don't see any signs of a yellow brick road. If I had to guess, I'd say we're stuck somewhere between Lima and Oz," Quinn replied, laughing softly at her own joke. Her laughter died, however, when she realized that Rachel definitely wasn't laughing. _Great_, she thought to herself. _I tried to make a joke during a serious situation, and now she's going to yell at me. I suck at life._

Quinn slowly turned around to face her girlfriend, expecting to be verbally scolded for her lame attempt at a joke. Instead, she was met with the warm sensation of Rachel's lips on her cheek.

"Quinn Fabray!"

"Uh, yeah?" Quinn responded, still not sure of Rachel's feelings.

"You just made a _Wizard of Oz_ reference!"

"Yeah, I guess I did," Quinn replied, not really understanding what the big deal was.

"Do you know how much I love that movie? Not to mention the fact that it was the main inspiration for the book _Wicked_, which was later turned into a phenomenal Broadway musical starring Idina Menzel and…"

"Kristin Chenoweth," Quinn said, finishing Rachel's sentence.

"See, you really are the best girlfriend ever!" Rachel squealed, clearly pleased that her girlfriend really had been paying attention during all of her lectures on the history of musical theatre. Rachel then leaned up and placed a kiss on Quinn's lips. Soon, the kiss became rather heated, and Rachel felt Quinn's hands at the hem of her shirt, lightly tugging at the garment. Just as Quinn was getting ready to remove the shirt from Rachel's body, another round of thunder and lightning hit, and, before Quinn even had time to react, Rachel was back on her bed, stuffed cow pressed tightly to her chest.

"Quinn," she whispered.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Why does it have to be so loud? I can't even hear myself think! I don't understand how you can be so calm in this type of situation."

In the dark, Quinn could barely make out Rachel's shape. However, by the sound of the girl's voice, Quinn could tell that there was only one thing that would take Rachel's mind off the storm. Quinn cleared her throat as she searched through her brain's memory bank, praying that she had seen _The Sound of Music _enough times to successfully go through with the plan that she had just hatched.

Walking over to the edge of the bed, Quinn said, "Whenever I'm feeling unhappy, I just think of nice things."

"What kind of things?" Rachel asked, not even realizing that she had given the correct response to Quinn's statement.

"Well, let me see. Nice things…" Quinn began, tapping her head as she thought of nice things. "Daffodils, green meadows, skies full of stars…" Quinn paused slightly, gathering her courage. When she was sure that she had Rachel's complete attention, she began to sing, "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens/Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens/Brown paper packages tied up with string/These are a few of my favorite things…"

As Quinn approached the bed, she could faintly make out the huge smile on her girlfriend's face. Grabbing onto Rachel's hands, she continued, "Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels/Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles/Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings/These are a few of my favorite things…"

As Quinn finished the second verse, she leapt onto the bed, pulling Rachel down with her. She then felt Rachel's arms wrap around her waist, hugging her tightly. Quinn smiled to herself and then began singing the third verse. "Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes/Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes…" Quinn leaned down to kiss the tip of Rachel's nose, eliciting a giggle from the brunette. "Silver white winters that melt into Spring/These are a few of my favorite things…"

As Quinn finished the third verse, she quickly got up from the bed and ran over the chair that sat in front of Rachel's computer desk. Jumping up on the chair, Quinn sang, "When the dog bites/When the bee stings/When I'm feeling sad/I simply remember my favorite things/And then I don't feel so bad…" Jumping off the chair, Quinn ran back over to Rachel, and asked, "May I have this dance, young lady?"

"Yes, of course you may," Rachel replied, curtseying. The two girls then proceeded to dance in the middle of Rachel's bedroom floor, as Quinn continued to sing "My Favorite Things." They carefully twirled around the room, laughing occasionally when one of them ran into the corner of the bed or the running shoes that Rachel carelessly thrown in front of her dresser after her run the day before.

Soon, Quinn had repeated the first three verses and was getting ready to sing the fourth one. But just as she got ready to open her mouth, she heard Rachel's voice, loud and clear, singing, "When the dog bites!" Before Quinn had time to react, Rachel's lips were on hers, and her teeth were tugging lightly at Quinn's bottom lip. Pulling away from the kiss, Rachel sang, "When the bee stings!" As soon as she finished singing the line, she grabbed onto Quinn's right forearm with her thumb and index finger, lightly pinching a small patch of skin. Rachel smirked when she heard Quinn yell, "Hey! That kind of hurt!"

Rolling her eyes, Rachel leaned down and placed a small kiss on her arm. "There. Does that feel better?"

"I suppose so, but don't be surprised if I retaliate before the night is through!" Quinn said, her failed attempt at intimidation earning another laugh from her girlfriend.

Grabbing a tissue from her nightstand, Rachel handed it to Quinn and continued singing, "When I'm feeling sad/I simply remember my favorite things/And then I don't feel so bad!" Rachel made sure to drag out the last note, earning a round of applause from her girlfriend. "You're the one who should be receiving a round of applause," Rachel said, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Quinn. "You knew just what to do to take my mind off the storm. And you get extra brownie points for knowing that _The Sound of Music _is one of my top five, all-time favorite musicals." Rachel smiled when she felt Quinn kiss the top of her head. "Actually," she continued. "You deserve so much more than just a round of applause."

"Like a kiss?" Quinn asked, eager to hear Rachel's response.

"Yes, I suppose that will do. For now," Rachel replied, leaning forward and joining their lips in a tender kiss.

"For now?"

"Baby, we have the entire weekend. And right now, I can barely find your lips in the dark, much less your…"

"Oh, I think I could help direct you," Quinn said, interrupting Rachel.

"I'm sure you could," Rachel said. "But I'd still be disappointed."

"Really? And why is that?"

Leaning forward, her lips brushing against Quinn's ear, Rachel whispered, "Because, in the dark, I won't be able to see your face when you come."

Quinn shuddered as she choked out a barely audible, "Oh."

Rachel laughed lightly at Quinn's response. As she leaned in place another kiss on Quinn's lips, she saw the light on her nightstand blink back on, and she heard Sue Sylvester's voice coming from the TV, muttering something about how hail damage is good for the economy. "The power's back on!" Quinn exclaimed!

As Rachel looked out the window, she could see a few stars in the sky. A light rain continued to fall from the sky, but the major part of the storm had passed, leaving behind it a few toppled trees and several inches of rain.

"The power's back on!" Rachel cried out, repeating Quinn's statement.

"Yeah, Rach, I kind of already said that," Quinn replied, attempting to use the nicest tone of voice possible.

"Quinn." Rachel put her hands on Quinn's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye, hoping that Quinn would get what she was trying to say. When she saw nothing but confusion in Quinn's eyes, she pressed on, deciding to take a more direct approach. "Quinn, baby. The power's back on. Why aren't your clothes off?"

As she felt Rachel pull her toward the bed, Quinn smiled. _Maybe it should storm more, _she thought.


End file.
